Mixed signals from the South Carolina bar

A few days after posting this, I learned that the “M” in “MCLE” did not mean that this CLE qualifies for ethics hours. -GF

Recently our State Supreme Court ordered that “at least once every three annual reporting periods, attorneys and judges complete one hour of instruction devoted exclusively to substance abuse or mental health issues and the legal profession.” Their rationale was that “[t]he Bar notes members of the legal profession tend to suffer from higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide than other professions.”

Today I received notice that this same bar is sponsoring continuing legal education–moreover ethics credits–for a “Concealed Weapons Permit and CLE Training Course.” At the end of this eight hour class (1.5 MCLE credit hours), the participant will qualify for a concealed weapons permit.

Google “depression and suicide” and “depression and homicide” and one will find numerous medical studies finding correlations between depression and suicide or homicide. Whose idea was it to encourage giving depressed lawyers ethics credit for obtaining a concealed weapons permit? Just dandy!